Before man conquered his fear of water, he amused himself with dust sports such as pushing boulders off cliffs, wrestling tumbleweeds, and falling in the dust. Dunk yourself in a world of aquafun with today's Groupon to Texas Ski Ranch in New Braunfels. Choose between the following options:
- For $30, you get an all-day cable pass and equipment rental (a $61 value).
- For $24, you get a four-hour cable pass and equipment rental (a $48 value).
Texas Ski Ranch supplies watery entertainment for elite nautical athletes and Neptunian neophytes alike with its multilake facilities and wide variety of rental options. Two advanced cable-pull systems liberate athletes from the demands of monopolistic boat cartels, allowing beginner and experienced visitors to receive individually tailored rides and reducing down time between pulls. The main cable simultaneously hauls up to six wakeboarders, water skiers, or kneeboarders, or up to 35 adorable water-skiing squirrels. A separate lake, which is reserved for beginners during high season and loaded with ramps and rails for veterans during the off-season, features another high-elevation set of pull cables. The Ski Ranch's expert staff offers coaching from the watery sidelines to help athletes improve their soggy skill sets.
Equipment rental includes a choice of kneeboard, wakeboard, or water skis, as well as a helmet and Coast Guard–approved life vest. The adjoining board shop is the largest in Central Texas and stocks gear from companies such as Liquid Force, Oakley, RVCA, and Nike 6.0. The Ski Ranch also boasts a boat lake as well as the lakeside bar and grill, Wahoo's Fish Tacos, enabling wave tamers to fuel up before skimming across the water like a pirate hovercraft chasing a bejeweled porpoise. (This Groupon does not cover food and drinks.) All ages and skill levels are welcome at the Ranch, though minor mariners require a waiver.
Reviews
Five TripAdvisors give Texas Ski Ranch an average of 4.5 owl eyes and three Yelpers give it a 4.5-star average:
- My kids had a blast, they loved the cable lake and after a few false starts (starting off the dock was the hardest part), they got the hang of wakeboarding. – momwilltravel, TripAdvisor, 1/29/2007
- Fantastic cable park whether you are a novice wakeboarder or solid rider. Island in the middle knocks down chop, good variety of sliders & Kickers, nice tight cable for airtricks. Friendly staff. – Jesshay G., Yelp, 7/15/09
Texas Ski Ranch
Texas Ski Ranch sends wakeboarders, kneeboarders, and water-skiers skimming across the placid surface of a cable lake—all without the use of a boat. Ropes connected to a circulating cable high above the water pull up to six athletes at a time around the water, with kickers and sliders stationed throughout to provide opportunities for big air, as well as a Little Bro cable system for beginners.
Aside from the cable park, the 70-acre complete action sports complex offers wakeboarding, a 15,000-square-foot city-style skate park, a beautiful beach, an indoor trampoline park, a beach area, a portable rock wall, a pro shop, and Wahoo's Fish Taco restaurant. Even snowboarders can visit to slide down the SnowPark's synthetic surface that mimics real snow, allowing winter sports enthusiasts to get back in the action and tune up their board, or learn to snowboard for the very first time by taking lessons from a crew of seasoned instructors.